Reid Comita, a 15-year-old from Keller, Texas, wasn't the world's most "outdoorsy" teenager, but he was determined; he'd taught himself sign language, after all. He had two requirements to go before he could be an Eagle Scout: a camping merit badge and a service project.

He left for Buffalo Trail Scout Ranch in West Texas on June 11 to get his camping merit badge, his dad, John Comita, told mySA.com. The following day during a group hike, the teen collapsed from heat stroke, John said.

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"The night before, I gave (him) a kiss and a hug — a big hug, he was taller than me," John said. "I said, 'I love you, Reid,' and I just hugged him and hugged him. It was one of those hugs that you just kind of don't want to let go.

"And he said, 'I love you too, Dad,' and he went upstairs," John said.

Realizing he'd forgotten his watch before heading to work the morning of the 11th, John dashed upstairs and said one more goodbye to his 15-year-old. He opened the door to Reid's room, which sat on the top of the stairs on the left.

"'Hey Reid, try to have a good time,'" John told his son. "And he said, 'I will,' and I said, 'I love you.' He said, 'I love you too, Dad.'"

The next day, miles from help, Reid began to vomit on a hiking trek from camp. His peers poured water over him in an attempt to cool him down. Officials told the Fort Worth Star Telegram that temperatures in the area the afternoon of the 12th reached the upper 90s, with a heat index hitting triple-digits.

The closest help was ranch officials, about a 90-minute ride on horseback; helicopters were grounded due to an electric storm in the area.

Once help arrived, an official performed CPR on the 15-year-old from Keller for more than an hour-and-a-half before U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived in a helicopter.

As officials worked on his son, John and his wife raced to the ranch and struggled to get updates.

"And they kept saying, 'We don't have any details,'" he said of the ranch employees who told him EMS officials made them turn their radios off.

Roughly four hours after they got the first call, John said the assistant scout master contacted them.

"(My wife) answered the phone, and she screamed, 'Oh my God,' and she looked at me and said, 'John, pull over,'" he said. "Well, I pulled over and then she told me. Of course I was devastated. Then I talked to him and I said, 'Is my boy gone?' and he said, 'Yes, John.'"

"I'm saying to myself, 'This isn't supposed to happen. This isn't supposed to happen,'" John said.

Reid was pronounced dead at the scene, but the official who tried to save him needed medical attention, so they were taken in the helicopter instead.

The 15-year-old's body was later flown to down from the trail and put into an ambulance, where the scouts on the trip were able to say goodbye.

Before going to Scout camp, John said his son was worried about holding the group back as he wasn't the most "outdoorsy" kid. But he really wanted to accomplish the "Introduction to Backpacking" course he needed get closer to his Eagle Scout award.

Reid was also known for his "excellent" singing voice and was active in show choir.

"The two things he really enjoyed were boy scouts and show choir," John said, adding that a scholarship has been created in Reid's honor to help kids pay for two activities.

Since June 12, more than $11,000 has been raised.

Additionally, one of the Boy Scout troop's leaders plans to organize a group to finish Reid's Eagle Scout project — raising enough money to purchase a playhouse for a women's shelter in North Texas.

Reid also planned to landscape the area near the playhouse, putting in new crushed rock and greenery.

"For his loss, he's still giving," John said about the outpouring of support he and his family have received.